Borderline personality disorder (BPD) may linked to an increase risk of suicide if accompanied by insomnia symptoms, according to research published in The Journal of Affective Disorders.
To assess the possible indirect effect of BPD traits on suicide risk through insomnia and/or nightmares, researchers recruited 281 participants to complete a study online. Researchers assessed BPD symptoms, history of suicidal thoughts or behaviors, insomnia symptoms, and distress related to nightmares.
BPD symptoms were significantly correlated with suicide risk insomnia, and nightmares and BPD traits had an indirect effect on suicide risk. However, nightmares were not related to suicide risk. The results suggested that sleep may improve as a result of treatment for BPD. Overall, nonrecovered patients with BPD tended to have longer sleep onset latency, higher rates of sleep medication use, and increased daytime dysfunction resulting from sleep disturbances, even when controlling for age, sex, depression, anxiety, and primary sleep disorders.
